Adventures of a Wool Virgin - Getting Started with Wool - Advice?

I’ll be honest. When I hear “wool” I hear horror music. Maybe this is because I dropped $50 for a pair of beautiful wool covers and a sweet sister in law unintentionally put it in the hot wash and SHRUNK those suckers before we could even try them [CRY!].

But suck it up Tara, right? It’s time to just TRY it. In this series, I am going to try wool and give you my honest-to-goodness take on how I feel about it. I think different cloth diapers work for different people, so I am not afraid to say if something doesn’t work for me. In fact, while I duck around here when I say it, I will admit that more often than not, my son is in disposables at night. DUCK!

OK, now that y’all are done throwing tomatoes and soiled diapers at me, let me explain. You see, my son wakes up all throughout the night when he is wearing cloth diapers. With disposables, he sleeps all night. I have limited his waking up to just once a night when I pair him with my winning combo for night-time, but I still have issues. Many of you have told me that if I would just give wool a try, I’d find that the issues will go away.

So that’s it, I am taking your advice and taking on wool for the next little while. I’ll tell you the struggles as I go (if I have some) and you can help me. Now I am saying I am a “wool virgin” because I am counting this as my first experience with wool. We are NOT counting my first wool experience as the one with the horrible $50 pair that can now fit a Barbie–from now on I will pretend those never existed.

But I am not in this experience alone. Emilie from Got ‘Em Covered has equipped me with some great advice and I will share it with you as I go. She has assured me it isn’t as terrifying as I think. She does a great job of talking about wool on her website here. In addition to that, co-Editor of Padded Tush Stats, the lovely and amazing Carolyn, HAS used wool and will give us her advice.

So I want to hear from you. What is your advice for the wool virgin? Comment here!

* Covers featured in this photo: Babee Greens cover courtesy of Kissed by the Moon (left) and the Got’ Em Covered Wool Cover courtesy of Got ‘Em Covered.

Julie

I’ll be following this with interest. I used wool with my first cloth diapered baby but that was 9 years ago. We never got to diaper our next child and the next one we ended up using mainly old style Fuzzi Bunz. We’re now on our third cloth baby and my husband insists Alva baby diapers are his absolute favorite. I would really like to use wool again but for some reason I can’t remember what we used to use under the wool. Sorry I know that sounds crazy but I think I have PTSD (long story) and I just cannot remember some things anymore. I very much like the IDEA of using wool but can’t seem to make it happen. For one thing I really don’t like pull-up style soakers when changing a poopy diaper. For another we don’t have much extra money to buy some cool snap-on soakers. I tried to motivate myself by splurging on two skeins of super soft yummy expensive wool but now I’m scared to knit it into something I won’t use. Good luck. I hope we both get it figured out.
- http://www.facebook.com/Cordaena Julie Wills
  
  You could try a wrap style if soakers aren’t your thing. You could also use fitteds underneath the soakers, and then poop wouldn’t get on it in the first place. I’ve used flats, prefolds, and fitteds under wool. They all work, you just have to use pins/snappi/boingos to fasten the prefolds and flats, and make sure you’re checking often enough because wool will reach a certain point where it can’t repell/absorb wetness anymore and leak.
  - Julie
    
    Will Snappis and Boingos stay on a prefold under the wool? I’d probably have to make any fitteds. I do have a couple fitteds but they’re pricey! Hmm, maybe I could make some pocket style fitteds since I already have some flannel and stuff or lay in regular prefolds. I’m a little hesitant to try pins again. I had some Dritz pins years ago but my kiddos like using them to fasten “capes” while they’re playing and they’ve long since disappeared. Plus I poked myself a few times and that kinda put me off pins. Thanks for the suggestions.
    - http://www.makingitworkblog.com/ Carolyn Russell
      
      If Snappis and Boingos work for you under a normal cover, they’ll work fine under wool! I was always really careful when pulling them up and over the fastener, but I’ve yet to have any real problems with it! (Well, except for the fact that I’m not the best prefold fastener, and so EBF poop escaped out the legs and onto the wool. BOO! But that’s my fault, not the wool’s fault!)
      - http://www.facebook.com/Cordaena Julie Wills
        
        Have you tried rolling the edges around the legs? Works like a charm for me!
    - http://www.facebook.com/Cordaena Julie Wills
      
      I can’t speak for snappis under wool, but yes, I use Boingos, and they stay put. For fitteds that don’t cost an arm and a leg, you might try Imagine or Motherease.
Jenny

I have recently jumped into wool too! I have a post on my blog about caring for wool and another showing off my Babee Greens Cashmere cover. I love my Babee Greens wool! http://www.clothdiaperrevival.com/2013/02/favorite-things-babee-greens-wool-covers.html and http://www.clothdiaperrevival.com/2013/01/back-to-basics-how-to-prep-use-wool.html
Laura

I am excited to follow your journey. I have heard the praise sung for wool, but the cost and the lanolizing process have both kept me away.
http://www.facebook.com/dhadhacrouch Dhadha Crouch

I made wool longies from recycle old sweater and I’ve used any fitted and fleece liner under wool. All work well for the last 8 months now.